Downtown Kansas City, Missouri, appeared in a recent New York Times story about the cheesy way the U.S. Senate conducts business.
Sunday's Times described the White House's difficulties in filling administration posts. The Times reports that more than a third of President Obama's nominations are being held up in the Senate for various reasons.
One of the delays involves downtown Kansas City.
In April, Obama announced his intention to nominate Martha Johnson for the head job at the General Services Administration, which acts as Uncle Sam's landlord. Kit Bond, Missouri's senior senator, put what lapel-clutching Stonecutters call a "hold" on the nomination. Bond took the step in an attempt to force the GSA to approve a new federal building in Kansas City, further cementing his status as Missouri's preeminent slicer of pork.
A new federal building in Kansas City was once thought to be a done deal. For city leaders, the main question was the building's location: downtown's east end or a site overlooking the Missouri River?
While city officials dithered, the project came under scrutiny in Washington. In July, acting at the the request of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, the GSA decided to reevaluate the need for the new federal building.
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